800 Aberdeenshire pupils take part in fun running event

Primary school children in Aberdeenshire came together to take part in a free running event last week.

Organised by GO Run For Fun, the event saw 817 children participate in total, aged between five and 10.

Picture: Callum McGregor Chapman

Partnering with Aberdeenshire Council, GO Run For Fun welcomed 27 local primary schools at Aden County Park to tackle the two kilometre route.

2018 Commonwealth bronze medallist and marathon runner, Robbie Simpson, showed his support at the event as an ambassador, due to his interest in motivating and inspiring people to take up running competitively or as a hobby.

Robbie said: “From personal experience I know how useful races organised for young school pupils can be; two of the first ever running events I took part in were the schools 2.5km race at Balmoral and the 2km fun run at my school which I enjoyed so much that I decided to take it more seriously and compete for my local athletics club.

“Having the opportunity to take part in these events was key to getting me into the sport. I’m keen to get involved and help the next generation on their way to discovering running as a way to stay fit, healthy and happy.”

Picture: Callum McGregor Chapman

GO Run For Fun, which works in partnership with the Great Run series, is aiming to get a total of 55,000 children running by the end of the 2018 by organising a total of 25 mass running events across the UK.

The initiative is supported by INEOS, a multinational company headquartered in London, with health and fitness at the heart of its ethos.

INEOS Chairman, Jim Ratcliffe, who is deeply passionate about running, said: “It has never been more important to support young people in leading healthier, more active lives. We are very proud to support and celebrate these two initiatives (GO Run For Fun and The Daily Mile) that have been making a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of children in the UK and beyond, for the last four years.”

GO Run For Fun organises free running events across the world to inspire children to be more active. To find out more about GO Run For Fun, visit www.gorunforfun.com